102
Pacific Ocean
Hawaii
3 An Introduction to Surface Waves
•
seismic stations
o tsunamis detectors
~ earthquake zones
Fig. 3.14: Earthquake zones and location of tsunamis detectors in North-East Pacific
(adapted from Bernard, 1998)
seismic zone, generated tsunami with height over 30 m. The gigantic wave
swept away thousand of villages on nearby islands, and 36,000 lives were lost.
Twenty minutes after the explosion, the harbour of Batavia (Jakarta) was
destroyed, and nine hours later 300 river boats were smashed at Calcutta.
Halfway around the earth and 32 hours after the eruption, the wave reached
the English Channel and was recorded on the tide gauges (Smith, 1973).
Tsunamis continue to strike Pacific coasts. Coastal communities in East
Russia, Japan, as well as in Alaska and northern California are particularly
threatened by tsunamis generated by local earthquakes. When a large earthquake occurs, the first tsunami may reach nearby coastal communities within
10 minutes of the event.
On October 4, 1994, an earthquake of magnitude Ms 8.0 (Mercalli Intensity
Scale) struck the southern region of the Kuril Islands. A tsunami run-up of
Pacific Ocean
Hawaii
3 An Introduction to Surface Waves
•
seismic stations
o tsunamis detectors
~ earthquake zones
Fig. 3.14: Earthquake zones and location of tsunamis detectors in North-East Pacific
(adapted from Bernard, 1998)
seismic zone, generated tsunami with height over 30 m. The gigantic wave
swept away thousand of villages on nearby islands, and 36,000 lives were lost.
Twenty minutes after the explosion, the harbour of Batavia (Jakarta) was
destroyed, and nine hours later 300 river boats were smashed at Calcutta.
Halfway around the earth and 32 hours after the eruption, the wave reached
the English Channel and was recorded on the tide gauges (Smith, 1973).
Tsunamis continue to strike Pacific coasts. Coastal communities in East
Russia, Japan, as well as in Alaska and northern California are particularly
threatened by tsunamis generated by local earthquakes. When a large earthquake occurs, the first tsunami may reach nearby coastal communities within
10 minutes of the event.
On October 4, 1994, an earthquake of magnitude Ms 8.0 (Mercalli Intensity
Scale) struck the southern region of the Kuril Islands. A tsunami run-up of